We Are your North Fort Worth's trusted source for Dental Implants

If dental implants have been recommended as a means to replace missing or damaged teeth, the professional team at Alliance Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery can take care of you. By using the best products and cutting edge technology, and drawing on years of experience, our patients can rest assured that they're getting the best care possible in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex area. Call Alliance Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery today to make an appointment and discuss whether you'd be a good candidate for dental implants.

Don’t be afraid to Smile

"For years I’d felt like a part of my body was missing — because some of my teeth were removed. My dentist told me that dental implants would make me feel and look a lot better. OK, I said. Now, I’m thrilled. I can smile, eat anything, and enjoy a good laugh with my friends."

Get Your Smile Back

Who wants their youthful attractiveness and vigor to go down the drain as they get older? Raise your hand! Naturally, no one would voluntarily choose this, but that's precisely what happens when you lose teeth. Once a tooth is gone, the supporting jawbone structure literally starts to melt away. 25% of it will be gone within a year after initial tooth loss, leading to the telltale sunken-in cheekbones, and an older, unhealthy appearance.

If this is the problem you are facing, there is good news. DENTAL IMPLANTS! They look, feel, and work just like real teeth. You can smile, laugh, eat and drink like you did before you lost your teeth. They are more easily placed immediately after your tooth is extracted, so don't wait. Call our office today for a consultation.

What are your Options for Replacing Missing Teeth?

If you've lost one or more teeth, you have more choices than ever before for replacing them, both short and long-term. Virtually anyone of any age is a good candidate for dental implants. Smokers and those who have undergone radiation therapy, can have a lower success rate, but that doesn't mean we'd rule you out. Here we discuss some of your options:

FIXED BRIDGE

When you get a connected set of replacement teeth, that is called a "fixed bridge." The outer enamel layer of teeth next to the empty space is ground down prior to attachment, then the bridge is cemented into position on top of them.
FLIPPER

Do you need a quick fix for a missing or chipped tooth? A "flipper is a removable plastic tooth that will fill the gap until you can get an implant or bridge.
REMOVABLE PARTIAL DENTURE

With removable, partial dentures, replacement teeth are placed into a metal and plastic frame, which holds on to the adjacent teeth with wire clips. Like a retainer, the patient inserts and removes the partial denture.
DENTURES

When all of the teeth in your upper and/or lower jaws are missing, or cannot be salvaged by your dentist, dentures are a common and convenient solution. Most people adapt to upper dentures very well.

To lower dentures, not so much as they do not stay in place, especially if teeth have been missing for a long time.
DENTAL IMPLANTS

For missing teeth, dental implants are a comfortable and permanent solution. Like the roots of your own teeth, they form a firm foundation for the replacement tooth. They can be used as a replacement for a single tooth, or to secure partials or bridges in place.

Unlike bridges, healthy teeth need not be ground down prior to placement. What's more, dental implants can last a lifetime, and be an attractive, stable and realistic alternative for almost any patient needing tooth replacement solutions.

What's so great about Dental Implants?

Dental implants are well-liked by oral surgeons and patients for many reasons. For example, dental bridges require "sacrificing" the enamel structure of adjacent healthy teeth in order to secure the bridge in place. Removing dentures or "partials" at night can be inconvenient, and if you've ever seen dentures slip out of someone's mouth in public, you know and they know that's the ultimate embarrassment. With dental implants, you'll experience none of those problems.

What are Dental Implants?

Your "real" teeth consist of two parts: the crown, above the gumline, and the root, below it. Dental implants are constructed according to the same principles. It has a crown, the visible part you chew your food with, and a root that holds it firmly into your jaw. Only with dental implants, the root is composed of titanium, the same stuff that artificial joints, as well as air & spacecrafts, are made of.

To get a dental implant you need plenty of jaw bone. If too much bone is missing then we start with a bone graft. If you do have enough bone, then we start with placement of the implant, which is usually about 4mm wide and 10mm long. After your implant has healed for about 3 months, you will return to see your dentist to put the crown on top of the implant.

Cutting Edge Technology

At Alliance Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery only the most recent advances in dental implant technology will do for our patients. Because of this, Dr. Parmer and Dr. Macholl are able to offer single-stage implants. While they don't require a second procedure to uncover them, they do require you to allow the area to heal for three full months before the teeth are placed. If at all possible, we'll try to install your dental implant at the same time we extract your tooth, which cuts down on the number of surgical procedures you'll need even further.

That said, all patients should know that dental implant placement is a specialized procedure, requiring a coordinated effort between an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, and your general dentist. Dr. Parmer and Dr. Macholl will do the actual implant surgery, including initial tooth extractions, and any bone grafting that might be needed. Your family dentist will then fit, fabricate and install the permanent crown.

Implants Related Procedures

BONE GRAFTING FOR IMPLANTS

Every tooth in your mouth has a socket. These hold the roots of your teeth. The walls of the sockets can vary in thickness, but are usually thinner in the areas of the lower and upper front teeth. When you get a tooth pulled in preparation for dental implants, the thickness of the socket wall will determine how much the area refills with bone.

The thicker the socket, the more the socket will fill with bone. In situations where sockets are thinner or missing, bone grafts may be performed in order to help your body replace the lost bone, which prepares the area for dental implants.
RIDGE AUGMENTATION

If it's been many years since you lost your natural tooth, or had it removed, the bony ridge surrounding it has probably thinned out, leaving inadequate bone for dental implant placement.

In this case, a bone graft will be placed next to the affected area and allowed to fuse with the existing bone. This process typically takes about six months. Once the area is adequately healed, the implant will be placed.
SINUS LIFT

In some individuals, additional bone grafting may be required if the sinus cavities are very large and extend into tooth-bearing areas. This typically occurs in those who have been missing teeth in the back of the upper jaw for a long time, leaving a limited amount of bone height available for implant placement.

In these instances, a “sinus lift” procedure is required. During this procedure, which is performed in-office under local anesthesia and sedation, the membrane lining the sinuses are located and elevated. We then restore the bone height to ensure that the dental implants placed are of adequate length. Whenever possible, we perform this procedure at the time of implant placement.
HYBRID TEETH
Conventional lower dentures are unsecured prostheses with a long list of limitations. Oftentimes, they're painful, inconvenient, and unstable. They can make chewing certain foods impossible and pop out of place while talking.

Fixed hybrid dentures are a cutting-edge restoration method that has totally changed the way surgeons, dentists and patients view the prospect of replacing a full set of teeth. With these dentures, your missing teeth are replaced with a full dental bridge supported by 4-6 dental implants. A temporary set of teeth can usually be placed on the same day of surgery, allowing you to go about your normal routine right from the get. Following a 3 months healing period, your dentist will then place your permanent bridge.

With fewer implants and procedures required, your overall treatment cost is reduced. Fixed hybrid dentures also afford greater stability in the bone, thus reducing the need for bone graft surgery and other measures to increase bone volume. Your quality of life will be vastly improved, and you can start enjoying your favorite foods again with renewed confidence!

The advantages of Fixed hybrid dentures include, but aren't limited to:
- Cost effectiveness - Replacement teeth typically require only 4 to 6 implants for the entire lower jaw. Fewer implants equal fewer procedures, and fewer procedures equal lower cost,
- Less need for bone grafting,
- Faster treatment and healing - Replacement teeth can usually be attached to the implants immediately after implant placement,
- Clinically proven - Fixed Hybrid Dentures are backed by successful clinical outcomes from studies conducted over a decade's time.

If you have any questions about dental implants, we encourage you to bring these up at your consultation.

We are happy to discuss your specific questions or concerns in greater detail then.

In the meantime, please don't hesitate to call our office at (817) 741-2200 and talk to one of our patient services coordinators.